Apocalypto kicks ass

By Thomas K. Arnold, Special for USA TODAY
Mel Gibson's personal troubles didn't haunt him at the box office, as his Apocalypto surprised prognosticators and became the No. 1 film of the weekend.
Director Gibson's violent, R-rated look at the end of the Mayan civilization grossed $14.2 million, according to estimates from box office tracker Nielsen EDI.

"The curiosity factor ruled all," says Nicole Sperling, film business editor with The Hollywood Reporter. Apocalypto "was a different kind of movie than people had seen before, and in the end, people didn't care about his rant."

More surprising: While early tracking showed the film appealing to older males, the gender gap narrowed to a 60-40 male-female split, with many couples in theaters, according to Disney, which co-produced the film.

Sperling says that she's shocked at how well the film fared with couples and that Disney's exit polling shows the most positive reactions coming from women over 30. "That's something I really don't understand," she says.

Apocalypto topped tough competition from the PG-13 romantic comedy The Holiday, No. 2 with $13.5 million; and animated holdover Happy Feet, third with $12.7 million in its fourth week. Casino Royale, also in its fourth week, was fourth with $8.8 million, and the new action thriller Blood Diamond was fifth with $8.5 million. (Final figures are due today.)

Many considered Apocalypto to be in trouble after Gibson's arrest for drunken driving in Malibu, Calif., in July, when he made anti-Semitic and sexist slurs against arresting deputies. In addition, the film is subtitled (dialogue is spoken in the Mayan language) and has no marquee star.

"Two months ago, it was all but written off," says Chuck Viane, president of Disney's Buena Vista distributing arm. "There are people who love it and people who don't, but when it comes to the craft of filmmaking, Mel is one of the best."